Sint-Hendrikstad
Sint-Hendrikstad is a town located in Drenthe Parish, of which is it the most populous town, and the first established in the parish. The town is a port located in the southeastern reaches of Central Island, on Hendrik's Peninsula, named for Hendrik Faariet, an explorer who founded the town in 1651, and was later named a saint by the parish church. Originally, the town was simply a small trading village, but by the 19th century had grown to a busy farming and market town of considerable size. Sint-Hendrikstad was also a major turning point in the Invasion of Brunant by James Carrington. The battle for the town occurred at the end of the war, after the Battle of Grijzestad, where the royalists made their last stand. In addition to having a variety of economic industries, the town is also a center of culture, containing the famous Kieral Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the country, and many historic landmarks. History , the founder of Sint-Hendrikstad, in 1664.]] Sint-Hendrikstad was founded by the explorer Hendrik Faariet (who was then charting the unsettled southeastern land of Central Island) and a group of eight settlers in 1651. Faariet, after planning the structure of the town and helping construct basic buildings, returned to the Cape Cross area to recruit more settlers. He returned to Sint-Hendrikstad in 1653 with twenty-nine more settlers to find that the town had already constructed a town center, several houses, and farms outside the town. The new settlers began work on their own houses, and Faariet returned again, coming with another group of settlers that wanted to live in his town. In 1654, a granary was built, and in 1667, a rudimentary church was constructed. In 1664, Faariet disappeared while traveling to Cape Cross, and was never seen again. The town was still not well known to the rest of Brunant, and was largely isolated. After a few years of waiting, in 1667, the citizens, who now numbered nearly four hundred, decided to vote to choose another leader, which was one of the first examples of democracy in Brunant. After decades of stability, the town reached one thousand citizens in 1703. By then, it had slowly established connections with other cities in Brunant: first Donderstad, and then Brunantstad. Walls were built in the 1730s and 1740s. A shipping industry grew in the coastal town in the 18th century, due to its important location on the tip of the peninsula and due to the increasing population, which numbered over ten thousand in 1800. The town became the site of Drenthe Naval Base in the late 1770s, only the third naval base in the country. In 1784, the town was fortified by the royalists in James Carrington's Invasion of Brunant, and defended from a siege by Carrington, becoming the final settlement to fall before the end of the invasion and the surrender of the royalists. While many inhabitants died during the siege, this led to an increase in population from an interest taken in the town by James Carrington. He ordered a fort to be built near the town, today known as the Fort of Faariet, named after the founding explorer. In 1807, the town was briefly occupied by Cettatie during their failed invasion. In the 19th century, Sint-Hendrikstad continued to grow. The town was where over half of the food grown in Drenthe Parish was traded, and where many ships docked to unload and load their cargo. A fishing industry was established and grew. A few factories were constructed in Sint-Hendrikstad, mostly for processing grapes, olives, and other foods, although some textile factories were also created. The population of the town surpassed 20,000 in the 1910 census. Sint-Hendrikstad was unexpectedly fire bombed in the German occupation of Brunant, causing one fifth of the population of thirty thousand to perish and many of the factories to burn. After the liberation of Brunant, many emigrated from the town, leaving it with just fourteen thousand residents. Population growth resumed in the 1960s, but not after the damage was done. Since then, it has rebuilt, but has only recovered to twenty thousand since the bombing. Farming and shipping have remained the most important industries, but the town has been encouraging tourism, by building several museums and the Kieral Aquarium. Although still one of the poorer towns in Brunant, the prosperity of the city is increasing. Geography The town is located east of Drenthe on the north bank of the Martiges River. Government The current government was elected in 2016. Economy A lot of the economy has historically focused on shipbuilding, which such ships as the 42-gun Pabella and the modern yacht Amelie built in the city's shipyards. The largest modern constructor is Arens Drenthe. Several factories can be found in the city, such as the plant for Citrona soft drinks. Businesses in Sint-Hendrikstad *Maxi *World of Media Sport In Sint-Hendrikstad plays the football club Hendrikstad FC, and the korfball-club Hendrik Faariet Drenthe. The defunct football club Sparta Hendrikstad was also located here. Education Sint-Hendrikstad's schools are: *Florian Evers Primary School *MC Weissmann College Transportation No bridge connects the town center to the south bank of the river, but ferries make the crossing every hour. Since the 2000s, there are proposals to build a bridge over the river. The reason for this is that the number of houses on the south bank has increased in recent years. Residents of the localities in the Cape Henman area also hope to become more accessible. Work on a bridge started in 2018 and is expected to be finished by 2020. Map *'*1' - Fortstraat *'*2' - Henmanstraat Category:Sint-Hendrikstad Category:Towns